The Emily City Council on July 9 adopted a nuisance ordinance to replace a previous ordinance.

The original ordinance was a short ordinance consisting of one page with nine sections. The new ordinance has 12 sections, but with nine pages each section has far more detail when it comes to defining each individual type of nuisance, the responsibilities of residents and city officials, and the penalties related to violations of the ordinance.

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For example, 802.04 of the old ordinance read, “No person shall allow to accumulate junk cars or other junk of any nature whatsoever upon his or its property within the City.”

This type of violation could still be covered under 802.04, but it is part “N” of a 20-part list of definitions that bans “accumulations in the open of discarded or disused machinery, household appliances, automobile bodies or other matrials in a manner conductive to the harboring of rats, mice, snakes or vermin, or the rank growth of vegetation among the items so accumulated, or in a manner creating fire, health, or other safety hazards from such accumulation.”

Such hazards are also covered under 802.06 regarding “Nuisance and Parking Storage” and 802.07 regarding inoperable motor vehicles.

Furthermore, the new ordinance includes sections on public nuisances affecting morals and decency, peace and safety, health, noise and parking storage. The ordinance further details duties of city officers in enforcing the nuisance ordinance, as well as the penalty that cannot exceed $1,000 or imprisonment over 90 days.

A summary of the meeting reported 28 citizens present witn nine asking for more discussion on the changes and one complimenting the council for its efforts in cleaning up the city.

The present council passed the ordinance unanimously. Council Member Ryan Johnson was absent.

In other business, the council:

•Accepted the resignation of Scott Myogeto from the Emily Volunteer Fire Department as of Aug. 1.

•Approved bids by Anderson Brothers for driveway construction and reconstruction on the west side of city hall in the amount of $14,950, an overlay of the south and east side of city hall in the amount of $7,125, basketball court overlay in the amount of $4,950, and crack seal the front (north) parking lot.